Valve-operating gear.



R. W. KAUGHER.

VALVE OPERATING. GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED mm: 20, 1910.

977,880. Patented Dec. 6,1910.

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R. W. KAUGHER.

VALVE OPERATING GEAR.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 20, 1910.

Patented Dec.6,1910.

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R. W. KAUGH-ER.

VALVE OPERATINGGEAR, APPLICATION FILED mm: 20, 1910.

Patented Dec.6,1910.

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RICHARD W. KAUOHER, 0F READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HOWARD D. TAYLOR, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

VALVE-OPERATING GEAR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD WV. KAUGHER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve-Operating Gear, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to three-cylinder locomotive engines having crank-shaft connections arranged at angles of 120, though applicable also to similar stationary engines; and my main object is to provide for connecting the valves of the several cylinders so as to effect their joint operation in a simplified and advantageous manner.

The invention is fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features are specifically pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view indicating a threecylinder engine construction with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow, the several cylinders being indicated by dotted circles. Figs. 3 to 10 inclusive are diagrammatic views showing different positions assumed by the intermediate valve and its operating connections relative to the independently operated outside valve rods.

The particular engine construction in connection with which my invention is shown, is more fully illustrated in Patent No. 948,066, locomotive-engine, issued February 1st, 1910, to Howard D. Taylor; and sufficient only of the known mechanism employed is indicated to make clear the application and operation of the present invention.

The outside engine cylinders 2, 2 and the intermediate cylinder 3, may be suitably secured to the parallel engine frames 5, 5, of a locomotive. Each cylinder is provided as usual with a communicating steam chest 4 having a suitable valve therein (indicated in Figs. 3 to 10), and a projecting valve stem 6, 6 6*, through which the desired valve movement is transmitted.

As will be readily understood, the cross-- heads of the several piston rods 7, which slide on the fixed guide carriers 10, 10 10 are connected by drive rods to a driven Specification of Iietters Patent.

Application filed June 20, 1910.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910. Serial No. 567,832.

shaft or shafts having three crank connections arranged at angles of one hundred and twenty degrees to each other as usual in this type of multiple cylinder engine.

Each of the valve stems 6, 6*, for the outside cylinders is provided, as shown, with a slide extension 15 movable in a suitable slide-guide 16 rigidly secured to the corresponding guide carrier 10 or 10*; and the required valve motion is imparted to each of these rods by any suitable valve operating gear (not shown), operating, as indicated, through a lever 17 pivotally connected to each slide 15.

Instead of providing an independent valve operating gear for the intermediate third cylinder, I employ a simple mechanism conveniently mounted upon the guide carriers 10, 10, 10, between the valve stems and arranged to cooperatively connect these stems so as to produce the required movement of the intermediate valve by the joint action of the separately operated outside valves.

The intermediate valve stem 6 which is attached to a slide extension 20 traveling in a slide-guide 21, fixed to the guide carrier 10 as shown, carries a floating lever 22 which is centrally pivoted to said slide and the opposite ends of which are operatively connected to the respective outside valve stems 6 and 6 This connection is effected through similar transmission levers 23, 23, which are pivotally mounted in fulcrum blocks 24, 24, rigidly fixed, as shown, to the respective guide carriers 10 and 10. Each of these levers has one arm 23 pivotally connected by a link 25 to one end of the floating lever 22, and another arm 23 pivotally connected by a link 26 to a lug 15 on the adjacent valve rod slide 15 and all of said levers, together with the connecting links, are arranged, as shown, in the same horizontal plane with the three valve stems, The arm 23 of each transmission lever, is one half the length of the other arm 23*, as shown, and both levers operate upon the intermediate valve stem 6 through the centrally pivoted floating lever 22 thereon so as to impart to said valve stem 6 a movement which is the result of the joint action of the connected outside valve stems 6 and 6*, and which is similar in extent and character to that of each outside valve, but differently timed from either of the latter as required by the different angles of the seve 'al crank connections;

The diagrammatic views, Figs. 3 to 10 indicate successive positions assumed by the intermediate valve, and by the connecting mechanism to the other valves through which the latter jointly operate it, during one double stroke or cycle of valve movement. The extremes of travel imparted to the outside valves by the ordinary operating gears therefor, are indicated respectively by the forward lines f 7 and the rear lines 1" r on each valve rod 6 and 6 and a like travel is imparted by my connecting lever mechanism to the intermediate valve through its rod (3", as shown. It will be seen that the relative position of said intermediate valve which is required to provide the same con trol of the ports as in the case of the outside cylinders, is at all times insured, the timing of the movement being properly related to those of the outside cylinder valves in accordance with the different angles of the crank connections.

My invention enables the valves of the several cylinders employed to be harmoniously operated by greatly simplified mechanism advantageously applied, the mechanism for operating the valve of the intermediate engine by the joint action of the independently operated side valves, being conveniently and accessibly mounted upon the guide carriers of the several cylinders, clear of all obstruction, and the simply constructed operating parts being all arranged in the same horizontal plane so as to transmit the required movements without objectionable strain and wear, or variation due to lost motion.

What I claim is 1. In a three cylinder engine comprising two side cylinders and an intermediate cylinder, and reciprocatively mount-ed valve stems for the several cylinders, independent valve operating mechanisms for said side cylinders, and a valve operating mechanism for said intermediate cylinder comprising a horizontally arranged double-armed floating lever pivotally connected to said intermediate valve stem, and horizontally arranged doublearmed transmission levers pivoted respectively to fixed side fulcrums and linked respectively to one arm of said floating lever and to an adjacent side valve stem.

2. In a three cylinder engine comprising two side cylinders and an intermediate cylinder, and reciprocatively mounted valve and linked respectively to one arm of said floating lever and-to an adjacent side valve stem, all of said levers being arranged to swing in the same horizontal plane.

3. In a three cylinder engine comprising two side cylinders and an intermediate cylinder, and reciprocatively mounted valve stems for the several cylinders, independent valve operating mechanisms for said side cylinders, and a valve operating mechanism for said intermediate cylinder comprising a double-armed floating lever pivotally connected to said intermediate valve stem, and double-armed transmission levers pivoted respectively to fixed side fulcrums and linked respectively to one arm of said floating lever and to an adjacent side valve stem, all of said valve stems and levers being arranged in the same horizontal plane.

4. A three cylinder engine comprising two side cylinders and an .intermediate cylinder each provided with a fixed guide carrier and with a valve stem reciprocatively mounted on said carrier, independent valve operating mechanisms for said side cylin ders, a lever fulcrum fixed to each of the side cylinder guide carriers, a double-armed transmission lever horizontally mounted in each of said fulcrums and having one arm thereof linked to the adjacent side valve stem, and a double-armed floating lever pivotally connected to the intermediate valve stem and to the other arms of the respective transmission levers.

5. A three cylinder engine comprising two side cylinders and an intermediate cylinder each provided with a fixed guide carrier and with a valve stem reciprocatively mounted on said carrier, independent valve operating mechanisms for said side cylinders, and a valve operating mechanism for the intermediate cylinder located above and carried by said fixed guide carriers and operatively connecting the valve stems of the three cyl- 

